When Izzy Reed fractured and dislocated her hand during a late-season volleyball practice in October, it didn’t just affect Greenwood Christian’s postseason hopes in that sport. The freshman also was being counted on to make big contributions for the Cougars on the basketball court.
After missing Greenwood Christian’s first five games this winter, Reed is starting to deliver. Heading into Tuesday’s game against Morristown, she ranks second on the team in scoring (11.8 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 per game).
Despite a late start, Reed has managed to mesh fairly seamlessly.
“You don’t normally have somebody come in six games into the season, but when you do, it becomes important to blend together,” Greenwood Christian coach Alan Weems said.
Having veteran teammates has helped smooth the transition.
“It’s kind of a lot of pressure, coming out here as a freshman with four seniors,” Reed said, “but at the same time it’s fun, and it’s good experience being surrounded by such good players.”
Reed’s numbers are somewhat watered down by the fact that she played sparingly in blowout wins at Eminence and Central Christian. Over her other three games, she’s averaging 17 points, including a 23-point effort against Edinburgh that saw her shoot a perfect 8 for 8 from the line.
So far, Reed is 23 of 26 on free throws (88.5 percent), which makes her all the more dangerous. She’s also shown the ability to hit from long range if needed, making half of her first four 3-point tries.
“She’s a very, very good free-throw shooter,” Weems said, “and when you’ve got that in your game, and you can shoot like she can shoot and you can rebound like she can rebound, then that just makes you really difficult for another team to guard.”
Even when she’s not scoring, Reed has found ways to impact the game. She’s already had a pair of double-digit rebounding games, grabbing 13 in a loss to Bethesda Christian, and she’s also got 11 steals in five outings.
The 6-4 Cougars, who have won five of six since back-to-back losses at the Johnson County Tournament, are excited to see what happens when Reed fully hits her stride.
“She’s a fantastic athlete. She and Sarah (Mangan) will always give us great board presence,” Weems said of Reed. “She’s got a strength about her that we’ve lacked in the past.”
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Izzy Reed’s high school basketball career has gotten off to a strong start. A look at the stats from her first five games:
Opponent;Pts;Reb;Stl
Speedway;13;7;4
Eminence;4;10;1
Bethesda Chr.;15;13;2
Central Chr.;4;3;3
Edinburgh;23;3;1
Averages;11.8;7.2;2.2
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